Guide to the Boston Marathon Charity Program

Registration for the 2015 Boston Marathon closed September 17, but it’s still possible to gain entry into the race as a charity runner. If you’re thinking about running for a charity in 2015, here are the answers to some questions about how the charity program works.

If I want to run the 2015 Boston Marathon for a charity, where should I start?The Boston Athletic Association (B.A.A.) and sponsor John Hancock both operate charity programs. The charities in those programs are considered the “official charities” of the race.

We recommend going to the B.A.A. and John Hancock charity pages and looking for connections or causes about which you are passionate, and going to individual charities' pages to learn about the application process. (When this article was published, the Hancock page listed its 2014 non-profit partners.)

How many charity bibs are available?2,585 bibs are distributed among all of the official Boston Marathon charities.

When is the application deadline?Application deadlines vary. Some charities have already opened their application processes, while others plan to do so soon. The B.A.A. recommends that charities try to have their teams selected and committed to training by mid November or early December.

If you want to apply to run for a charity, start looking now. For a minority of organizations, it’s already too late to apply. Some organizations make their decisions on a rolling basis, and could therefore fill all of their slots before their official deadlines. Some of the charities charge a non-refundable application fee.

How much money will I need to raise?According to the B.A.A., all runners running for charities, who don’t already have an allocated slot in the race, must raise $5,000. (Some charities are still quoting a $4,000 minimum, apparently because they haven't updated all of their information for the 2015 race yet.) Some charities choose to set their minimums higher, but most stick with $5,000.

What happens if I can’t meet my fundraising minimum?Most charities secure runners’ entries with a credit card and a signed contract. The credit card is then charged if a runner fails to meet his or her minimum—providing powerful motivation to make sure that minimums are met!

What are charities looking for when they select their runners?This varies, depending on the charity, but all charities want to make sure that their runners can successfully meet their fundraising minimums. Some like to see their runners commit to raising more than $5,000, so the ability to fundraise is an important quality.

Some charities begin their outreach by contacting people in their own networks. “They want to show some loyalty to people who’ve shown loyalty to them,” says B.A.A. Executive Director Tom Grilk. They also look for natural connections between their organizations and the runners they are selecting.

Do I need to be from the Boston area to run for a charity?While most who run for charities are from New England, it varies from charity to charity, and some cast their nets far and wide.

How many runners apply to run for charities and get turned away?It varies from charity to charity. Some turn away dozens, while others turn away hundreds.

Do any charities have trouble meeting their runner quotas?Usually not. From time to time, there are gaps, but with unprecedented demand in 2014, B.A.A. officials aren’t aware of any charities that were unable to meet their quotas this year.

If there are official charities, are there also unofficial charities?The vast majority of the charity runners at the Boston Marathon each year are running for official charities. However, there are also some race numbers allocated to groups that choose to use the bibs to attract runners who will run for causes.

For example, each of the towns and cities through which the race runs are allocated entries. Many of the towns opt to use some of those entries to have runners run for causes that benefit their towns.

The race also has partnerships with the American Medical Athletic Association, some veteran and active military groups, and others that fall outside of the official charity program.

How many charities raise money at the Boston Marathon each year?Between the B.A.A. and John Hancock charity programs, there are approximately 146 official charities.

What determines how many bibs each charity gets?It depends. Some of the charities have had long-term relationships with the B.A.A. and the number of bibs they receive tends to remain constant from year to year. The B.A.A. also adopted a rotating charity program that organizations can apply to be a part of for a three-year period. Those charities tend to receive 15 bibs per charity.

Because there are so many charities in the John Hancock non-profit program sharing a smaller number of available bibs, the number of runners per charity is lower.

How much money is raised for charity at the Boston Marathon?In 2014, runners raised a record $38.4 million for the official charities. That figure is an outlier, however, because more charity bibs were made available in response to the 2013 marathon bombings. The previous fundraising record was $20 million in 2013.

If I have already secured a bib for the 2015 race, can I still run for a charity?Absolutely, and most charities have a significantly lower minimum fundraising requirement for runners who are already registered for the race, often in the $1,000 to $2,000 range.

Will there be changes to the Boston Marathon charity program in the coming years?The Boston Marathon charity program, which began in 1989, is constantly evolving. Moving forward, the B.A.A. is looking to work with charities that align with its mission of promoting health and fitness, particularly through running. Their main focus is on charities that are locally based and will have a positive impact in Greater Boston and New England, Grilk says.

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